OT: Player you regret collecting

[joelsabi]

I just was corresponding with a collector who collected nomar garciaparra for the longest time and now regrets it. say it was a complete waste of time looking back. anyone else felt this way about their collection or shifted away from collecting a certain player. What was the reason.

[suave1477]

Well I can't honestly see someone regretting who they collect unless they did it for investment purposes.
But honestly if your going to collect it should be more for the love of the hobby.

As far as the Nomar collector unfortunately Nomar's career has dwindled down but he still has had a great run and worth collecting. Nomar hasn't become a bad person or anything, he is just getting older.

The only reason why I can see maybe someone regretting to collect a particular person would be because the player became a bad person in society.

Hey look at my collection. I collect D. Strawberry, not that great off the field but on the field it was a thing of beauty to watch.

His career dwindled down because of his extra activities but I wouldn't regret collecting him because he was a great player to watch.

[Kid4hof03]

I actually agree with Jason on this one.

Regretting a bad investment, sure, but regretting a choice to collect a certain player, that has not happened to me.

[kylehess10]

I don't regret collecting Andruw Jones, but I do regret spending almost $600 on just his hat and batting gloves. His stuff is just so cheap now after his horrific season with the Dodgers in 2008.

[mbenga28]

William Roger Clemens

[allstarsplus]

William Roger Clemens

I would have to say Sammy Sosa 1st and Roger Clemens second. Luckily for me, I got out of almost all of my Barry Bonds items.

I have probably over $50,000 worth of Roger Clemens and about $20,000 of Sammy Sosa which is all based on money I have spent on the items I still have.

Like I found with the last Steiner Yankees Clemens jersey I sold, it is better to sit on it for another 20 years as the values are really bad now (unless something changes in the future).

[whirl]

Many years ago, an art dealer offered me a Charles Russell water color. He said it would undoubtedly go up in value. I told him that was great, but I didn't like it. He said if you don't like it, don't get it. Investment should be secondary. I think that is good advice for collecting too.l

[bigtruck260]

When I was a kid, I spent 90% of my lawn-mowing money on 1990 Upper Deck cards. At the time, I had Missouri's largest Ben McDonald collection. I religiously bought Beckett at the Walgreens to show my friends how much my collection was worth.

I came across it in my closet not long ago (I'm 34 now)...and will probably keep it to use as an example for my kids. Funny thing is, I used to have about 100 of them. Now there are FIVE. I had alot of hatred for the 'prospect' label - and many of those cards ended up as kinding for my juvinile pyro fetish.

With the Game Used stuff, I only collect players that I have already enjoyed watching. My collection is MUCH more past focused than what the flavor of the month is.

[corsairs22]

Big truck
Just for clarity's sake, you mean that you used to have 100 Ben McDonald cards, not 100 kids. Right?

[joelsabi]

Well I can't honestly see someone regretting who they collect unless they did it for investment purposes.
But honestly if your going to collect it should be more for the love of the hobby.


I think the guy regrets the amount of money he put down on the player and then seeing the prices at where they are at now. Hes still picking up his stuff so maybe it's a timing issue.

But I do not think he would have had the collection he has now if he waited until the downturn to occur to get started. Would he be able to accumulate the same quality collection had he started when the downturn occurred?

[legaleagle92481]

Mark McGwire $600 autographed baseball when he did his first Steiner signing.

[sox83cubs84]

Big truck
Just for clarity's sake, you mean that you used to have 100 Ben McDonald cards, not 100 kids. Right?

I'd presume he meant 100 Ben McDonald cards. After all, he's Big Truck, not Shawn Kemp:p .

Dave M.
Chicago area

[cohibasmoker]

Pete Rose.

I got 99.9% of my Rose stuff from Paul Jensen. At one time I had at least eight jerseys, Mizuno bats, spikes, caps and other signed items. Once Pete did what he did, I sold almost all of the items I collected. With the exception of a few signed Sports Illustrated pieces (which are lying under a bed in our spare bedroom), and Reds warm-up for 1985, it's all gone.

Jim

flaa1a@comcast.net

[suicide_squeeze]

Eric Gagne.

Being a Dodger fan, he was hot stuff during the "streak". 84 straight spanning over three seasons.....are you kidding?.....that was legendary.


Until his name surfaced in the steroid tabloids. Now, I have three perfectly signed balls of his, each with a different inscription ("Game Over!"....."84 straight"......"C Y '04"), a game used 2004 jersey, signed to perfection with inscriptions, and his black 2004 Easton game used glove.

I just wish I could get my money out of them. He's garbage.....a disgrace to the game IMO. But there are still a few fans out there, and the steroid "era" hasn't played out yet, so we'll see. He may eventually develope a whole new following after everyone comes to the realization his record will never in a MILLION years be approached by any mortal soul....

[godwulf]

Not one player in particular, on whom I've ever spent a huge amount of money and now regret it, but a whole bunch of players on whom I've, cumulatively, spent a huge amount of money, and now regret it.

In the early years of my collecting, my focus was (as it still is) the Diamondbacks...but being a young team, many of its players had already been on one or more other teams in previous years...so I began collecting jerseys and bats of DBacks players from those other teams. And I sort of overdid it.

With some of my all-time favorite players, it's okay - the Matt Williams stuff from SF and Cleveland, the Luis Gonzalez stuff from the Cubs, Detroit, LA, etc, the Greg Colbrunn and David Dellucci and Mike Morgan bats and jerseys from everywhere...those I'll keep. But I bought "other team" bats and jerseys from players who were only with the team for a very short time, or who were guys I never really even liked that much. Richie Sexson, Troy Glaus, Lenny Harris, Jose Cruz, Jr., and quite a few others come to mind.

In most cases, it's nothing they really did that soured me on having their stuff - it's just that the stuff really doesn't mean all that much to me anymore because their connection with the team was so transitory, and I find it increasingly annoying having a lot of it around.

I just remembered a birthday present I got from my sister several years ago. She bought it right after Wally Backman was named the new DBacks skipper - his manager's jersey from the 2002 Southern League Champion Birmingham Barons. Long before my birthday, after Backman had been canned, my sister let me know that my present, when I opened it, might seem "a little odd"...but, after all, she couldn't very well return it. :rolleyes:

[emann]

I just was corresponding with a collector who collected nomar garciaparra for the longest time and now regrets it. say it was a complete waste of time looking back.

Not to derail the thread, but I'd be interested in a Nomar bat if that collector is selling them off. ;)

[coxfan]

I regret nobody, since even those with frustrated expectations are still part of baseball history. My only regret would be if I thought an item was not authentic, but that hasn't occured yet with me. Of course, it helps to keep a limited buying budget, to buy mainly MLB-authenticated g-u items directly from teams, and to rely on getting only in-person autographs, as I do.

[JETEFAN]

Arod, Bonds, etc. all the Riod Crew boys.....

[dcgreg25]

godwulf, if you would consider moving any of your Matt Williams Indians items I would be very interested. Also, any other Indians jerseys or bats (Sexson, etc) you have that you might sell or trade, let me know. Thanks!

As far as players I regret, I have a couple Sosa items and a Vick signed Eagles jersey...neither is a player central to my collection but all purchases I now regret.

[cjclong]

I never collected any of his game stuff, but I had a lot of magazines I saved of OJ Simpson when he was at USC. I remember a long run he made against UCLA. I really liked him. All that is now totally spoiled.

[Swoboda4]

All the steroid players. I believe Pete Rose items will endure though. He hurt baseball,himself,and fans but what he did while playing was pure and will,over time stand out alone after he's long gone.Don't get rid of his items. Steroid items are tainted.

What I regret is what was touched on in this thread. A player with great promise arrives and his items/autograph are astronomical in price. Only to not sustain its purchasing price.
Does anybody realize what Steiner did by asking and getting $45,000 for Matsui's game 6 '09 WS jersey? So,does this mean my '86 Dykstra playoff-WS home pinstripe has sky-rocketed in value?
What we lost by making and regreting bad decisions has also placed us in a market where top shelf items can realize prices beyond their few thousand dollar initial investment.

[Jays1fan]

I actually do Regret collecting Lyle Overbay. Not because of Cost or anything like that. But for the simple fact he may not be a Blue Jay for long. I have 2 of His Jerseys including a Great looking "Canada Day" red jersey and I have his 2006 Canada Day HAT and Locker Name plate... but the only thing on display is the hat. which brings me to my next Regret ....
All the JERSEYS I bought. Again , cost or value is not a concern but I just dont have the room to display them all. Most are hanging in the closet.

[bigtruck260]

I'd presume he meant 100 Ben McDonald cards. After all, he's Big Truck, not Shawn Kemp:p .

Dave M.
Chicago area

Or Evander Holyfield.

Yes, 100 Ben McDonald UD Rookie Cards.:o

[bigtruck260]

Not one player in particular, on whom I've ever spent a huge amount of money and now regret it, but a whole bunch of players on whom I've, cumulatively, spent a huge amount of money, and now regret it.

In the early years of my collecting, my focus was (as it still is) the Diamondbacks...but being a young team, many of its players had already been on one or more other teams in previous years...so I began collecting jerseys and bats of DBacks players from those other teams. And I sort of overdid it.

With some of my all-time favorite players, it's okay - the Matt Williams stuff from SF and Cleveland, the Luis Gonzalez stuff from the Cubs, Detroit, LA, etc, the Greg Colbrunn and David Dellucci and Mike Morgan bats and jerseys from everywhere...those I'll keep. But I bought "other team" bats and jerseys from players who were only with the team for a very short time, or who were guys I never really even liked that much. Richie Sexson, Troy Glaus, Lenny Harris, Jose Cruz, Jr., and quite a few others come to mind.

In most cases, it's nothing they really did that soured me on having their stuff - it's just that the stuff really doesn't mean all that much to me anymore because their connection with the team was so transitory, and I find it increasingly annoying having a lot of it around.

I just remembered a birthday present I got from my sister several years ago. She bought it right after Wally Backman was named the new DBacks skipper - his manager's jersey from the 2002 Southern League Champion Birmingham Barons. Long before my birthday, after Backman had been canned, my sister let me know that my present, when I opened it, might seem "a little odd"...but, after all, she couldn't very well return it. :rolleyes:

Surprised that you didn't have a butt-load of Travis Lee stuff. Man, what a hype machine he was during the expansion draft...

[gatorcollector]

I actually do Regret collecting Lyle Overbay. Not because of Cost or anything like that. But for the simple fact he may not be a Blue Jay for long.

That's to be expected these days. And that's exactly why I love being a college collector. A guy from UF might go on to play for half a dozen pro teams, but once a Gator, always a Gator.

[godwulf]

godwulf, if you would consider moving any of your Matt Williams Indians items I would be very interested. Also, any other Indians jerseys or bats (Sexson, etc) you have that you might sell or trade, let me know. Thanks!

I'm actually looking at selling somewhere in the neighborhood of eighty bats, but I think the only Cleveland bats I want to move right now are a Roberto Alomar (from 2000, I think...a signed, uncracked LS M356) and a couple of signed, early-'90s Carlos Baerga bats. Please shoot me an email if you're interested in any of those.

Jeff

godwulf1@cox.net

[godwulf]

Surprised that you didn't have a butt-load of Travis Lee stuff. Man, what a hype machine he was during the expansion draft...

Well, I do have seven of Lee's DBacks sticks, from '97 to '00, that I value, and which are a part of my collection that continues to make sense. I mean, yeah, he never lived up to the hype, but he was an important part of the team's history...at least for awhile. I also have the prototype DBacks jersey that he wore on the cover of the (I think) Feburary '98 issue of Becketts. The only Lee item that I bought and now regret bothering with is a signed, unused Phillies bat that I paid less than forty bucks for.

[5kRunner]

I'm actually looking at selling somewhere in the neighborhood of eighty bats, but I think the only Cleveland bats I want to move right now are a Roberto Alomar (from 2000, I think...a signed, uncracked LS M356) and a couple of signed, early-'90s Carlos Baerga bats. Please shoot me an email if you're interested in any of those.

Jeff

godwulf1@cox.net

Jeff,
Any Cubs bats in the "eighty"?

Send me an email, if there are. I might be interested.

[xpress34]

I can't say I ever REGRET collecting any one player, but yes, I have purchased items that lost appeal to me over time... and that alone has helped me become a much more 'focused' collector...

I still collect Matt Holliday - I was collecting him well before his popularity went up and I have continued since he left the Rox. No matter how or where his career ends, Matt has always been a class act to myself and my wife and like many guys on here, Matt knows that I collect his stuff and has always made me feel special whether at a public signing, Spring Training, or even a few months ago when the Cardinals were here at the end of the season.

I use to collect anything and everything of players I liked, but now concentrate on building 'matching' collections if I can (Jersey, Hat, Bat, Ball) and I have narrowed my card collecting to ONLY doing AU sets with the exception of Topps Allen & Ginter (I build that one set each year) and my '51 and '52 Berk Ross sets (still working on them - but already have the '52 Mantle!).

I have picked up random jerseys and then had the players leave the team or get injured, etc. and I just end up usually using them as a 'throw in' item when making a larger bulk sale of stuff to get extra stuff I've accumlated moved.

- Chris

[joelsabi]

All the steroid players. I believe Pete Rose items will endure though. He hurt baseball,himself,and fans but what he did while playing was pure and will,over time stand out alone after he's long gone.Don't get rid of his items. Steroid items are tainted.

What I regret is what was touched on in this thread. A player with great promise arrives and his items/autograph are astronomical in price. Only to not sustain its purchasing price.
Does anybody realize what Steiner did by asking and getting $45,000 for Matsui's game 6 '09 WS jersey? So,does this mean my '86 Dykstra playoff-WS home pinstripe has sky-rocketed in value?
What we lost by making and regreting bad decisions has also placed us in a market where top shelf items can realize prices beyond their few thousand dollar initial investment.

Matsui's legend just rose exponentially in Japan from being the first Japanese Player to win the WS MVP. There is no doubt that if, and i doubt it, it gets resold it would fetch even more. No regret here. I would not be shocked if Matsui got outbid while trying to get this jersey for the Matsui Museum in Japan.

[3arod13]

I don't regret collecting Juan Gonzalez, as it was always a fun challenge going after those items I wanted to add to my collection. I regretted how his career ended.

Regards, Tony

[JasonBanz]

I'd presume he meant 100 Ben McDonald cards. After all, he's Big Truck, not Shawn Kemp:p .

Dave M.
Chicago area

ZING!!!!

[kingjammy24]

i think it'd actually be a very cool theme to collect the jerseys of the biggest mlb/nba/nfl busts ever. i don't mean guys who were just a little overrated or didn't live up to their potential or faded too quickly. i mean the absolute biggest busts; most hype/biggest failures. for mlb, you could have brien taylor, todd van poppel, throw ben mcdonald in there. maybe ben grieve. kris benson. shawn abner. for the nfl, ryan leaf, tony mandarich, tim couch, charles rogers. nba: sam bowie, kwame brown, shawn bradley, michael olowokandi. i'd love to see a display with the #1 biggest bust in each sport. a brien taylor jersey next to a ryan leaf next to sam bowie.

rudy.

[tjm5711]

I don't regret collecting Juan Gonzalez, as it was always a fun challenge going after those items I wanted to add to my collection. I regretted how his career ended.

Regards, Tony

WOW ! Man ! I feel you ! I remember his disappointing end to his career. He was the man for a good stretch there in the AL. Then poof,,,,,,,he was gone ! Hell of a collection you have there. Did you ever try moving any of his stuff? If so, what kind of value did it hold ?

[tjm5711]

Mainly, I regret jumping the gun on Matt Forte. I paid big bucks for his autographed helmet,Jersey, and game ball on NFL Auctions after the Bears signed Cutler. Everybody thought he was going to have a huge year. Well we all know what happened ! LOL I didn't get to invested in Tommie Harris, but I regret anything I bought of his that has long since been sold !

[34swtns]

I'm sorry I ever bought one of Shaun Gayle's game jerseys and a couple of auto'd items.

I think that when the trial gets under way for the woman who murdered his fiancee' he's not going to come out of it smelling like a rose.

[tjm5711]

I'm sorry I ever bought one of Shaun Gayle's game jerseys and a couple of auto'd items.

I think that when the trial gets under way for the woman who murdered his fiancee' he's not going to come out of it smelling like a rose.



Really ? is he a suspect ?

[34swtns]

No, there's a good solid case against her. It's just a matter of what he knew. He was with the other woman the night before the murder but claims to have had only a business relationship with her. I guarantee that the defense with paint a different picture.